


Campfire Stories

by realityisoverrated



Series: Infinite Love [206]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, M/M, Polyamory, Polyfidelity, Smoaking billionaires, Toliver, flommy, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 12:11:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21179213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realityisoverrated/pseuds/realityisoverrated
Summary: Samantha has finally agreed to allow William to spend a month of his summer vacation with Oliver, Tommy, and Felicity. William asks to spend his first weekend with Oliver camping - alone. Oliver is more than a little nervous to spend time alone with his son when he still feels like a stranger.





	Campfire Stories

**Author's Note:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> This installment is 134/206. The chronological list for the series, with hyperlinks, can be found at  
http://archiveofourown.org/works/11051019
> 
> Welcome to any new readers. The more the merrier.

The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon when Oliver steered his SUV onto the campground. If they hurried, they would be able to watch the sunrise over the lake. William was sound asleep in the passenger seat and didn’t stir when the vehicle came to a stop. The teen had fallen asleep before they’d even left Starling’s city limits three hours earlier. Oliver wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed that his son had slept the entire journey. It had been nearly two years since William had turned up on their doorstep and they were still getting to know one another. The distance between Starling and Central City made it difficult for Oliver to develop the easy rapport he wanted to have with his son. Every time they saw each other, it felt as if they were always starting at square one. William was always equal parts shy and eager when they met. By the time William relaxed, it was time for Oliver to return home. When Samantha finally agreed to allow William to spend a month in Starling City, Oliver jumped at the opportunity to get to know his authentic son, not the child who was overly polite and deferential. He wanted William to feel he could relax and let his guard down. Oliver didn’t need or want perfection from his son. He wanted to get to know the person his son really was when he woke up with too little sleep, or what made him double over with laughter, or angry enough to slam a door. Oliver hated that his son still felt like a stranger.

Camping had not been Oliver’s idea for bonding and had been surprised when William suggested it. The Queens had not been known for roughing it. It wasn’t until Lian Yu that Oliver had spent more than one night sleeping outside. When they were kids, Oliver and Tommy would often sleep in the treehouse on the Queen property. They thought they were so brave to sleep away from the security of the main house when, in reality, the slightest noise had them wide awake and clinging to one another’s hands. They rarely made it to morning before they would grab their flashlights and run back to the safety of the house. Raisa always seemed to know when they would abandon the treehouse because there was always hot chocolate and cookies waiting for them when they appeared flushed and breathless in her kitchen.

Life on Lian Yu had been a struggle of survival, but Oliver would be lying if he didn’t say there were times when he was awed by the beauty of the island. Sleeping under the stars without any light pollution was something he missed. He also missed the simplicity of living his life by the cycle of the sun. Rising with the sun and sleeping when it set made him more attuned to his own body. Ever since he returned home, Oliver felt perpetually exhausted. His life as Oliver Queen and the Green Arrow didn’t leave him a lot of time for sleep.

Oliver chuckled quietly to himself as he pulled into their campsite. It had taken nearly twelve years of being home for Oliver to feel nostalgic about Lian Yu. He couldn’t wait to tell Felicity and Tommy. He could practically hear Felicity announce that hell had officially frozen over as she looked out the window for flying pigs.

William sighed in his sleep and Oliver felt a little guilty about waking him. They had a few minutes before the sunrise and indulged himself by studying his sleeping son. He would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit he was more than a little nervous. This was the first time he was going to be truly alone with William. He couldn’t rely on Bobby or William’s cell phone to be their buffer. As he reached to wake his son, he hoped they weren’t about to embark on forty-eight hours of awkward silence. “William.” The teen hummed but his eyes remained closed. “William, we’re here.”

“It’s still dark,” William mumbled as he stretched in his seat.

“The sun is rising. We have enough time to make it down to the lake to watch.” Oliver exited the car into the brisk morning air. He grabbed the thermos of hot chocolate Tommy had prepared and two flashlights.

“Thanks,” William said around a yawn as he took a flashlight from Oliver.

The lake was only a two-minute walk from where they’d parked their car. They navigated the trail in silence as their flashlights swept the ground in front of them. The full moon’s silvery light was reflected from the mirror like surface of the lake. William pointed towards a large rock and Oliver followed his son. Once William was seated, Oliver passed him the thermos and climbed beside him.

“Mmm, it’s good,” William said after taking a sip.

William offered Oliver some, but he declined. “Tommy uses Raisa’s recipe. It’s not as good as the original but he comes closest.” Oliver would never admit it, but his own attempts at recreating Raisa’s recipe were never quite right. He never got the ratio of shaved chocolate to milk right.

“Are you sorry he didn’t come?” William asked shyly.

Oliver huffed a small laugh. “No. A Holiday Inn is camping for Tommy. He would’ve started complaining before we got out of the car.”

“Felicity said Tommy used to go sailing for a week at a time. Isn’t that camping?”

Oliver thought about the amenities onboard the Sunnybrook and smiled. The quarters might be cramped, but there was still a comfortable bed, a toilet, a shower, and a fully functioning galley kitchen. He rested a hand between his son’s shoulders. “I’m sure you’ll get a chance to go on the Sunnybrook while you’re here. It’s nothing like camping.”

They sat shoulder to shoulder in silence and watched the sky transform their surroundings. The horizon became a dusty pink before the golden rays spread like fingers across the lake and sky. The trees came to life with birdsong. A family of ducks waddled out of the tall reeds and headed towards the water. The mama duck’s soft quacks organizing her ducklings into a line made William smile. When he caught Oliver watching him, he shrugged. “She sounds like mom trying to get me ready for school on time.”

Oliver forced the ever-ready coil of bitterness he felt towards Samantha down. He tried his best to understand why Samantha had made the choices she did when it came to their son, but he still resented that she didn’t tell him about William after his mom died. Time with his son was something he could never get back and he’d lost so much time with William. He hated that he didn’t know what it was like to get William up and ready for school. Samantha and Richard were getting better at including Oliver in William’s life, but he still felt more like his fun uncle than his dad. Attending baseball games and sharing an occasional weekend weren’t cutting it. Felicity was encouraging him to meet with their lawyers and to speak with Samantha about a more formal custody arrangement. Oliver was reluctant to do anything that would alienate him further. Samantha was trusting him more and more with William. Giving him an entire month was more than he’d expected when he first asked her to allow him to have more time with William over the summer.

“Come on,” Oliver said as he climbed off the rock. He had done his research when William expressed an interest in camping. He’d picked this location for its proximity to hiking trails and spectacular views. He wanted William to enjoy their time together. “Let’s get camp set up so we can have some breakfast. Then we can go for a hike. There’s a waterfall about two miles from here. It’s a popular place to swim.”

It was almost one by the time they returned to their campsite. Their hike had started in companionable silence but eventually William became talkative. He shared stories of hikes he’d gone on with the Boy Scouts and how he’d earned his Orienteering Merit badge. William’s face lit up when Oliver handed him the map and told him to lead the way.

“I’m starved. What’s for lunch?” William’s stomach rumbled loudly as if to emphasize the urgency of his request.

Oliver lifted the back gate of the SUV and removed the lid from the cooler. Tommy had packed enough food to feed a small army for a month. “We’ve got sandwiches. Potato and pasta salad. Chips. Fruit. Cold chicken.”

William peered into the cooler. “Wow, this is much fancier than peanut butter and jelly.”

A knot of worry formed in Oliver’s stomach when he realized he didn’t know his own son’s favorite sandwich. “I don’t think we have any peanut butter and jelly.”

“That’s okay,” William said as he read Tommy’s neat handwriting on the sandwiches. “Turkey with cranberry sauce is way better than peanut butter and jelly. Was Tommy a caterer in a former life?”

Oliver smiled as he watched William select a container of potato salad and coleslaw from the cooler. “He might’ve been. He’s always liked looking after the people he loves.”

“He must love you a lot. Oh, pickles.”

“I made those,” Oliver pointed to the jar in William’s hand.

“You did or you watched Tommy do it?” William teased.

Oliver was so happy that William was comfortable enough to tease him that he wasn’t affronted by the implication that he was useless in the kitchen. “Not only did I make those pickles, I grew those cucumbers. Bobby and Felicity are pickle fiends. I decided to try my hand at it last summer.”

They gathered their lunch provisions and sat at the small table Oliver had erected outside their tents. William inhaled two sandwiches before he slowed down enough to hold a conversation. “What are we doing after lunch?”

“Well,” Oliver said, wiping his hands on his shorts, “I packed a soccer ball, a bat, some gloves, and a few baseballs.”

“You want to play catch?” William asked with an arch of his brow and a small smile tilting his lips.

Oliver felt a little ridiculous admitting it but playing ball with his son had been a fantasy since Samantha told him she was pregnant. “I missed out on a lot of things with you and I know I won’t be able to make up for all the times I missed when you needed me.”

“I had my dad,” William said quickly.

Oliver was grateful to Amanda Waller for teaching him not to flinch when he took a direct hit. “I’m grateful that Richard was there for you and is a good father to you, but it doesn’t change the fact that I wish it was me that got to raise you.”

William’s gaze dropped to the table. “Oliver, I didn’t say it to make you feel bad. I don’t want you to feel guilty that I had a bad life without you cause I didn’t. I love my dad.”

“I know you do.” Oliver reached across the table and squeezed William’s arm. “I don’t want you to stop loving or needing your dad. I hope, one day, that you will grow to love me and see me as a dad too.”

“I want that too.” William smiled tentatively. “One day, I hope you’ll love me as much as you love Bobby and Becca.”

“Oh, buddy.” Oliver moved around the table and knelt by his son’s side. The doubt on William’s face made Oliver feel powerless. He tried so hard not to hate Moira and Samantha for the bargain they struck, but seeing his own son doubt his love for him filled him with an old ache from a wound that would never fully heal. “I have loved you as much as I love Bobby and Becca your entire life – even after I thought I’d lost you. If you never believe anything else I ever tell you, believe this, I have always loved you and I always will.” He placed his hand over his heart. “I loved you first.”

William looked away and rubbed his sleeve in front of his eyes. “You bring two gloves?”

“Yeah, they’re in the back of the car,” Oliver said handing his keys to William. “I’ll clean this up.”

William ran to the car and Oliver slowly cleared the table to give them both enough time to regain their composure.

Oliver ladled a heaping helping of cowboy chili into William’s bowl. He removed the foil packet containing cornbread slathered in butter from the fire and tossed it onto the table. He carefully opened the steaming bread and pushed it towards William. “Careful, it’s hot.”

William sprinkled some cheddar cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, and green onions on top of his chili. He stirred it three times before taking a bite. “It’s good,” he said around a mouthful, “but I’m glad we’re sleeping in separate tents.”

William’s eyes went wide as he realized what he’d said, and the tips of his ears turned red. Oliver burst out laughing. He added toppings to his own bean heavy chili. “I think this is Tommy’s idea of a joke. Have you ever seen Blazing Saddles?”

William shook his head, “Unh uh.”

“I’m pretty sure Felicity and Tommy can fix that before you return to Central City,” Oliver said. “It’s a Mel Brooks movie.”

“Space Balls,” William said with a grin. “We watched that at Christmas, it was funny.”

Oliver smiled at having a family memory that he could share with William. Felicity had insisted on watching a Hanukah movie on Christmas Eve. Evidently, Mel Brook’s involvement was all it took for Felicity to consider a movie a Hanukah movie. “I was very happy that you were able to spend Christmas with us.”

“It was a lot of fun. No one at school believed me when I told them you have snow made for Tommy every year,” William said. “Everyone says I’m rich now.”

“Technically, you are,” Oliver said, carefully watching William. His newly revealed paternity had caused a lot of changes in William’s life – a new dad, step-parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. There could never be enough love in a child’s life and William had embraced his new family, especially Bobby and Becca. The darker side of his paternity reveal was his dad’s fame and the media scrutiny. Somewhere in between the family and the paparazzi was William’s newly minted status of billionaire.

William shrugged. “That’s not real.”

“I promise you, the money in your trust fund is very much real.”

“I know I’m a billionaire, but it doesn’t seem real. I mean, dad gives me forty dollars a week for an allowance every Saturday and that’s usually gone by Tuesday. He only agreed to let me come for the month because Felicity got me a job at QC.” William took another bite of his chili. “I don’t feel any different- you know – I don’t feel rich.”

Oliver stopped himself from asking William what he thought being rich would feel like, but he didn’t know if his son would appreciate his attempt at humor. If there was one blessing that came from William being raised as a Clayton instead of a Queen was that he had a good head on his shoulders. He wasn’t anything like Oliver was at seventeen. William wasn’t entitled and he didn’t treat people with disregard for their own feelings. Oliver, Tommy, and Felicity were doing their best to raise Bobby and Becca differently from how Oliver and Tommy had been raised. It was impossible to raise them without exposing them to wealth and privilege, but they wanted the children to know how privileged and lucky they were to be raised by parents with extreme means. Oliver would consider himself a failure as a parent if any of his children turned out like the person he was before the Gambit. “Well, your, mom, dad, and I think it’s important that you become your own man. The money is there for you when you’re twenty-five, but we expect you to go to college and find a career.”

“I know, I know,” William rolled his eyes. “Mom tells me all the time.” He stuffed a piece of cornbread into his mouth. “Are you going to have another kid?”

Oliver laughed with surprise. “Rebecca is only seventeen months old.”

“Yeah, but,” William wiped his sleeve across his mouth, “do you think you’ll have another?”

“It’s possible.” Oliver broke off a piece of cornbread and dropped it into his chili. How they planned on conceiving a third child was currently a hot topic at home, and one he wasn’t very comfortable with. “We need to see how Felicity feels in a year or two.”

“If you’d been there when I was born, would you have named me Robert?” William’s eyes were curious as he studied Oliver’s face.

Oliver returned his spoon to his bowl. There had been zero chance he would've ever suggested Robert as a name when Samantha was pregnant with William, but he didn't want his son to think his little brother was loved more because he’d been the one to receive his grandfather's name. It had taken his dad's sacrifice and call to action to transform Oliver's complicated feelings about his dad enough to want to give the name Robert to his son. “I don’t think so. My dad and I were going through a tough time when your mom was pregnant with you. He would’ve been angry with me if he found out he was going to be a grandfather. He would’ve thought I was careless – but he would’ve loved you.”

William set aside his dinner and leaned forward eagerly. “Did you have a name picked out for me?”

Oliver felt himself blushing. He had picked out a name for a son long before he was even interested in sex. “Thomas.”

William grinned. “You must’ve loved him a lot – even back then.”

Oliver smiled. “I’ve always loved him. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t.”

“But you slept with my mom,” William said pointedly.

Oliver searched his son’s face for anger, but only saw confusion. “I did a lot of things I’m not proud of. I hurt a lot of people, including Tommy and your mom. I regret hurting them, but I don’t regret that we made you. You’re amazing.”

William nervously tugged on his sleeves. “Mom said that no one knew about you and Tommy. If you loved him so much, why didn’t you date him?”

Oliver envied his son and the world he was growing up in. Kids were coming out to their family and friends as young as ten and eleven. There was far more acceptance in the world than Oliver had ever dreamed possible. Not once when he was William’s age had it ever occurred to Oliver that two men would be allowed to be legally married. “It was a different world when we were your age. There were so many expectations.”

“You could get drunk and high but couldn’t love another guy?” William asked incredulously.

“It sounds crazy, I know. Maybe if Tommy’s dad hadn’t been around it would’ve been different. I think my parents would’ve been okay with it – or gotten okay with it. We couldn’t come out in high school – Tommy wouldn’t have been safe.”

“His dad sounds like he was scary,” William said.

Oliver could feel the familiar hatred of Malcolm Merlyn warming his blood. “Malcolm was a dangerous man. He hurt Tommy long before he murdered all those people.”

“Tommy was lucky to have you,” William said.

“We were lucky to have each other,” Oliver agreed.

William nodded. “Yeah, but I bet knowing how much you loved him made Tommy able to put up with his dad.”

Oliver had never thought of it that way. He’d always believed his love for Tommy had kept him strong during the five years he’d been away. Even at his lowest, he could always feel Tommy right beside him encouraging him to keep fighting and not give up. He never thought that he might’ve given Tommy strength to face his own demons. “You know, this isn’t something we’ve really talked about. Me and Tommy and Felicity. Is there anything you want to ask or talk about?”

“When I found out you were my dad, I thought it was weird. I didn’t understand it – I don’t know anyone else with parents like you. After I met Tommy and Felicity and saw you with them and Bobby, it made more sense. At first it was strange that you would kiss them both – not strange bad – strange different, but now I can’t imagine you without them. It would be weird if it was just you and Tommy or you and Felicity. Some people at school try to make fun of it but they’re idiots. They don’t know anything about you.”

Oliver wished his children wouldn’t have to put up with teasing because of his choices. He wasn’t willing to give up Tommy and Felicity, but he did wish people would keep their opinions to themselves. “I’m sorry the kids at school give you a hard time. I wish I could say it gets better, but adults still give us a hard time.”

William smirked. “It’s okay, I just tell them what my grandpa told me to say.”

Oliver braced himself for whatever words of wisdom William Clayton the elder had to say about his relationship with Tommy and Felicity.

“I just tell them that it’s none of their business and,” William’s cheeks turned pink, “I’ve got a billion reasons not to care what they think.”

“I won’t lie,” Oliver said sadly, “money does make it easier for our marriage to work. The money insulates us to a certain extent, but it doesn’t make the cruel things easier to hear. I’m sorry if my relationship makes it harder for you to be my son.”

“I think being Oliver Queen’s son was always going to make things complicated. I like having Tommy and Felicity as part of my family.”

“They love having you as part of our family.”

William stared into the fire. “When I first came to see Tommy, there was a part of me that thought he’d tell me to go away and never come back.”

Oliver couldn’t imagine Tommy or Felicity doing anything other than what they did, welcome William into their home and family with open arms and full hearts. “Why would you think that?”

“I thought that if Tommy knew that you didn’t want me, he wouldn’t let me stay.” William looked at him sheepishly. “It sounds silly now.”

“The night your mom told me she had a miscarriage, I snuck into Tommy’s room, even though his dad was home. I cried myself to sleep in his arms. There was a never a chance of Tommy sending you away. He’s always known how much I loved you and mourned for you.”

“Thank you.” William picked up his bowl of chili and resumed eating.

“For what?”

“For wanting to be my dad and for bringing me camping,” William said around a mouthful of chili.

Oliver passed a napkin to William. “You never have to thank me for being your dad. I love being your dad.”

William wiped his mouth with the napkin. “Do you really think Tommy will take me sailing?”

“If you ask him, he will,” Oliver said with certainty.

“I went sailing once with a friend whose parents have a lake house. It was only a Sunfish, but it was a lot of fun. We went with a bunch of people and played this game where you throw wet sponges and try to knock people out of their boats.”

Oliver leaned back in his chair and laughed along with his son as he shared another part of his life. Oliver could picture his son out on the water with his friends laughing and having a good time. Sitting around a campfire sharing stories with his son was better than he’d ever hoped for.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Your kudos and comments are what keep me writing and are always appreciated.
> 
> Hi there, remember me? I didn't intend to be away from this verse as long as I was. Work has been crazier than expected.
> 
> Are you watching the final season? I enjoyed the premier more than I should have. It was bittersweet to have Tommy back one last time, but they did manage to almost make Toliver canon. lol
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. I'm always happy to answer questions about this verse or anything else Arrow. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com


End file.
